Manual of Equitation and Horse Training 67 



The times at the trot, to commence with, should be 

 frequent and short. The length is increased when the 

 horse commences to come into condition. 



The gallop is the gymnastic "par excellence" for the 

 colt; it puts him at once both on the haunches and on the 

 hand, and it develops his breathing powers to the highest 

 degree. It is a gait which the horse ought to be able to 

 sustain a long time without fatigue ; training for it must then 

 be started early ; but because of the mechanism and power of 

 this gait, it will not be used outside except on good ground. 

 Lacking favorable ground, it will be preferable to gallop only 

 in the riding hall, until the horse is more developed. Outside 

 there is no question of proper leads; the instructor pro- 

 ceeds as in the riding hall, by breaking the equilibrium, 

 and he regulates the length of the gallop by the progression 

 of his work, and above all the physical state of the horses.i 



In the beginning, one should avoid bringing on a strug- 

 gle harmful to the colt's mouth and which might break his 

 gaits and kill his natural impulsion. In all this part of the 

 work, whose objects are above all physical development 

 and the establishment of confidence, the rider plays, in a 

 way, a passive part and he makes every concession which 

 will not have bad results on the health or character of his 

 horse. 



Defenses of the colt.— Here Si distmction must be made 

 between meanness and playfullness. While the first should 

 be suppressed from the beginning, it would be wrong to 

 punish the waywardness of a colt. When the rider feels 

 the colt ready to jump, he should close his thighs and lower 

 legs, lower his hands, close his fingers, and wait. Likewise, 

 w^hen the colt escapes the hand, and bolts out straight to 

 the front, or jumps to one side, don't try to bring him back, 

 as do ignorant riders, by a regular action of the aids 

 (since the colt barely understands them when he is calm 

 and at a low gait) but set the hand and then when he is 

 calmer, stop, put him in the right direction and move for- 

 ward. This method of procedure is alwaj^s, even with old 

 horses, that which gives the most certain and prompt 

 results. 



In any circumstance, the instructor cautions patience 

 and gentleness. 



1 These gallops at first very short — 400 to 500 yards— are increased 

 progressively to reach at the end of the period 1,500 to 2,000 yards. 



